Monday Evening Dinners
by singersongwriter
Summary: In which Shane & Oliver develop a routine of sorts...
1. Chapter 1

_I'm not sure how to describe this one. Given what little we know about the upcoming movies, I don't think this is necessarily plausible. That said, I had the idea and decided to follow the tangent for a bit. Let me know what you think or if you are interested in me continuing the story at all. I, of course, do not own these characters or SSD._

This weekly dinner thing really started by accident. Oliver and Shane had both stayed a little late at work after their friends had gone out for the night. Rita and Norman had "date night" on Mondays - something about fewer people and better coupons.

"What are your plans for the evening Oliver?" Shane asked as she packed her belongings to take home.

"Nothing special, Ms. McInerney. I intend to cook some dinner and read for a bit. Actually, I'm afraid I was rather too ambitious on my last trip to the market and bought more food than I could possibly finish myself. If you aren't busy, you are welcomed to join me. I'm not much of a cook, but I can typically manage concocting something edible."

Shane was surprised at the offer. It had been over a month since his divorce was officially finalized and though the two of them had continued to grow closer as friends, neither of them had made any gesture to move beyond that. The trouble here was that she wasn't sure if this was his attempt to do so or if he really had just bought too much food to eat himself. Either way, she had no real plans for the evening and spending time outside of work with the man who had become her best friend was definitely appealing.

"Sure. I might even be of some help. I worked as a hostess at a pretty nice restaurant while in college. The chef used to give the staff cooking lessons a couple times a month so we could better answer the patrons' questions."

"You are always full of surprises Ms. McInerney," Oliver said as he held the door open for her. He couldn't help the small smile from appearing on his face as she walked through the door ahead of him.

The evening was spent casually and cheerfully. They each sipped a glass of wine as they prepared the meal together. Shane showed Oliver a few of the tricks of the trade she had learned, and they spoke about some of their favorite foods from childhood. They ate together at the bar in the kitchen rather than bothering with moving the food into the dining room. They laughed and talked, and Shane remembered thinking at one point that she had never seen Oliver so relaxed. Both were a little surprised when the old-fashioned clock on the wall rang nine times.

"This has been a great evening, Oliver, but I think I better get home," Shane said as she stood and carried her dishes to the sink. Oliver refused to let her clean up and insisted on walking her to the door.

"You never know, Ms. McInerney. I may have to buy too much food more often," he said casually as she stepped outside.

"Intriguing prospect, Mr. O'Toole," Shane replied with a wink and a smile that affected him more than she knew.

After that first night, the Monday evening dinners became part of their weekly routine. Sometimes they went to Shane's place, sometimes to Oliver's. Sometimes they planned the menu the week before and sometimes they went shopping on the way home from the DLO. They talked about everything during those evenings - except for their growing feelings for one another.

The weird thing was that they both knew each other too well to even doubt that their feelings were reciprocated. Sometimes though it isn't doubt in the person you love that holds you back. It's that feeling that you are not enough for them. That worry that everything you've ever touched has been tainted somehow and that you couldn't bear to bring that curse upon someone for whom you care so deeply. That fear kept them from taking that final leap together - until the night mother nature forced a change in the routine.

 _To be continued...maybe. I don't know. You let me know if you think it's worth the trouble._


	2. Chapter 2

_So...you asked me to finish it, and I did. I appreciate the reviews and your interest in the story. I hope you enjoy the final chapter. It's a little longer than my typical pieces. As usual - I don't SSD or the characters._

The thunder rumbled almost imperceptibly in the distance as Oliver and Shane made their way up the porch steps into Shane's house. Oliver was giving Shane a hard time about her method for choosing tomatoes.

"You seriously cannot believe that the tomatoes speak to you, Ms. McInerney," Oliver said with a smirk.

"You are just disappointed that they refuse to speak to you, Mr. O'Toole. I am indeed a tomato whisperer, and you will just have to learn to accept that fact."

"I will not accept it. I fully intend to spend the rest of the evening disproving this ridiculous theory of yours beginning with the fact that you eventually opted not to purchase a single tomato! What self-respecting tomato whisperer would do that?"

Shane laughed aloud at this. She loved times like these. She had a hard time remembering how she ever thought the man didn't have a sense of humor. He had certainly made her laugh consistently over the last couple months. She placed her grocery bag on the kitchen island and turned to him.

"Well, Oliver, I suppose you just don't understand the process." Their mutual smiles faded a bit as they locked eyes with one another. Those moments were more frequent than ever now - the ones where Shane could swear that Oliver was looking directly into her soul, and Oliver knew beyond all else that he loved the woman standing across from him. As usual, however, one of them broke eye contact, and they moved about the kitchen preparing their meal.

It was a typical Monday evening for them. They talked about the day at work and shared a few ideas about the one item that seemed to have them stumped over the last week. It was a simple birthday card with a couple personal sentences from someone's mother. The outside of the envelope was damaged badly, and only a few letters from the names and addresses were visible. Every lead had turned into a dead end thus far, and it was back to the proverbial drawing board. Shane in particular seemed bothered that they couldn't find the rightful owner.

They were just finishing eating their dinner when the rain began. Oliver went to the kitchen window to investigate while Shane cleared the table.

"It sounds like it's raining pretty hard," Shane said as she entered the kitchen and began loading the dishwasher.

"I am afraid you are correct," he began, but the sound of his voice word was suddenly enveloped in a crack of thunder causing Shane to jump a bit.

"That was close," Oliver said, "Any closer and we would have lost-" The second clap of thunder was much louder than the first and the electricity was off before the echo faded. "-power." Oliver finished his thought anyway.

"Oliver O'Toole - the singing, _psychic_ postal detective," Shane laughed. "I think I have some candles around here somewhere." She felt around the counter for her phone and began using the screen as a flashlight as she opened cabinets.

"I am fairly certain that you have overestimated my clairvoyance. Can I assist you?" Oliver offered.

"I think there are some matches in the cabinet above the refrigerator. If you could get those, we should be in business," she said as she placed the candles she had found on the counter.

As they lit the candles, Shane asked the question she had been wanting to ask since the house first went dark. "You aren't going to try to drive home in this weather are you?"

"As long as my presence isn't too much of a bother, Ms. McInerney, I would rather stay dry. Besides, it should be amusing to watch you attempt to rough it without electricity for a while."

They laughed again and walked carefully through to the living room, each placing their candles on the end tables. There was something about the sound of each other's voices in the darkness that was soothing, and their conversation slowly drifted back to the birthday card.

"I just know there has to be some way to figure out whose it is," Shane said earnestly.

"I don't know," Oliver replied. "We've traced every lead. I dislike giving up just as much as you, but this one seems to be a lost cause." He paused for a moment, and then said what was on his mind. "This reminds you of the birthday card from your father doesn't it? That's why it is so important to you."

Shane shouldn't have been surprised that he saw right through her. He always had. She shifted a little closer to him on the couch. "I just feel like the message in that card is something that needs to be read. It amazes me how well you know me sometimes." That last sentence left her mouth without her thinking long enough to stop it. She fully expected Oliver to move them back to safe territory as he usually did, but he didn't.

"I know you without even trying, Shane. It's a mystery that I am not sure I will ever solve." Oliver looked towards her. He knew this last statement was closer to admitting his true feelings than he had ever come. Perhaps it was the dark that gave him the courage to say more than he normally would. It seemed safer somehow as he didn't have to endure the full force of her eyes as she looked back at him. If she wasn't ready to take this step, then the dark would provide him a shelter.

"What are you saying, Oliver?" Shane asked. She thought she knew. She hoped she knew.

Oliver realized he may not be given another opportunity like this. He cleared his throat and began the most important speech of his life to date. "I'm saying I know you. I know your heart, and your soul, and your sense of humor. It's as though you are a part of me - one that I have always known I needed but never really thought existed. I'm saying I love you Shane McInerney."

Shane's smile was bright enough to be seen through the darkness, and her response was simple. "I love you too...more than I can say."

Oliver released the breath he had been holding, moved forward, and pulled her into an embrace. "I'd ask you to dance with me now if we had a way of playing some music," he said as he held her closely.

"Well I may be able to do something about that." Shane reached to the coffee table and pulled out her phone and thumbed through until she found just the right song. Oliver smiled as he heard the first few notes, and stood, holding out his hand to her. She stood along with him, and they eased into a much different dance than they had ever done previously. This dance was less rehearsed, less formal. They allowed the music and their now fully open feelings to dictate their movements, and they stayed close together long after the song had ended and only the sound of the rain filled the room.

Later in life they would joke that Oliver never would have opened up had it not been for the storm, but deep down they knew that wasn't the case. The two of them were meant for each other. It was just a matter of time before something inevitable caused them to admit it.

 _Ok. That's that. Thanks for taking the time to read. I hope it brought a smile. Reviews are awesome, so please let me know what you think. I appreciate each of you who take a minute or two of your time to give me feedback._


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